Beyond the Numbers: Who Were They as Leaders?
The economy dashboard shows what happened. This one shows how Americans judged the people making the decisions.
Three layers of data, depending on what's available: Gallup approval ratings and C-SPAN historian rankings cover all 8 presidents. Gallup character traits cover Clinton onward. PolitiFact promise-tracking covers Obama, Trump I, and Biden.
All 8 presidents
Clinton → Trump II
Obama / Trump I / Biden
ABOUT THIS DATA
This section pulls from multiple sources because no single dataset covers all presidents equally. Gallup approval ratings go back to the 1930s, but Gallup's character trait questions only started with Clinton. PolitiFact's promise-tracking only started with Obama. C-SPAN's historian survey only ranks presidents after they leave office.
What this can't tell you: How honest a president actually was, whether they were a good leader, or whether they deserved their approval rating. These are measures of perception — what Americans thought at the time and what experts think now. Perception is shaped by media coverage, partisanship, and events beyond any president's control.
Sources: Gallup Presidential Job Approval Center (1981–2026), Reuters/Ipsos, YouGov, AP-NORC, Quinnipiac (2026–present for Trump II), Gallup Presidential Personal Characteristics polls (1996–2025), PolitiFact Obameter/Trump-O-Meter/Biden Promise Tracker, C-SPAN Historians Survey of Presidential Leadership (2021).
Full sources & methodology →